Flexible bag with metal gusset



June 14, 1949. M. KAPLAN vFLEXIBLE BAG WITH METAL GUSSET Filed Jan. 6, 19,49

m illlllllilllll Patente June 14, 1949 3 4 awww@ 2 7 89 specication. "fThe Vsxavlifieation-isifaccmnparred material. As is customary in thsfartQthe 'inside' Ybyadrawing-infwhich: j* maybe ilinedi'v'ith a:suitablelininglmateriaL- and f Figi. 1 is afperspetivelviewomy 'fimprevelfbag fthe edges foffbtli the *external material and lthe 1 lin i open' condition; 'lining- 4material may -be folded inwardly and Fig. 2 is-' asimilar viewsliowingrthwbaginvii'stitchedi"together f-tok provide ai satisfactorily closed condition; rished 'and thickened edge -wherethe Jedge is 3 for the top edge of plate 26. This has two advantages, one being to give the exposed top edge of the metal a rounded edge, and the other being to hold the two plates closely in face-to-face relation.

The back wall of the handbag may be provided with a shallow pocket, indicated at 52 in Fig. 1. This may be done by reversely folding the lining material for a suitable distance. The pocket (for simplicity omitted in Figs. 3, 5, and '7) receives a comb, indicated in broken lines at 54 in Fig. 2'. The main body of the bag may be used to receive a compact 56 and a lipstick 58, also shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. A support band, not shown, may be included for the lipstick. This, of course, is merely one example of possible contents for the bag, and would be appropriate only in the case of a very small evening bag.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 through 4, the projection 30 of the motion limiting means consists of a small tab of metal bent outwardly from the edge 60 (Fig. 3) of plate 26. To conveniently form the tab 30 in this manner,

the edge d may be stepped back somewhat from the main edge 62 of plate 26. The slot 32 is out entirely through the plate 24.

A modification of the motion limiting means is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 in which the projection 3G is received in a blind or closed slot 64, the said slot being formed by pressing the sheet metal of the outer plate 68 outwardly, instead 'of punching the slot therethrough.

Still another modification of the motion limiting means is shown in Figs. 7 and 8 in which the projection, instead of being a tab of metal bent from the edge of plate "i0, is a dot or teat drawn or pressed sidewardly, as is indicated at 12. As here illustrated, the projection 'l2 cooperates with a slot l@ punched through plate 16. Another diiierence from the arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and i that the slot is provided on the inner plate, while the projection is struck inwardly from the outer plate. Thus the slot is concealed from view, and the outside of the bag is unmarred.

It will be understood that the variant parts of the motion limiting means may be used in other combinations. For example, an arrangement as shown in Figs. '7 and 8 may be used with a blind slot or channel, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Moreover, the location of the slot and the projection as between the outer plate and the inner plate may be varied as desired.

It is believed that the method of constructing and using my improved container, as well as the advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. Assuming the invention to be applied to a ladys evening bag, the bag, though made largely of flexible material, is kept in shape by metal ends, and is enhanced in appearance by the contrast between the precious metal on the ends, and the flexible material. However, the bag does not suffer from the disadvantage of having only a very narrow opening at the top when opened, and instead the front and rear walls may be spread apart much as though flexible gussets were employed at the ends. The expansible metal gussets which I have devised nest together so closely and inconspicuously that the bag is virtually indistinguishable from an ordinary non-expansible bag, except when opened.

It will be understood that while I have shown and described my invention in several forms,

many changes may be made in the structures disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, as sought to be deilned in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A lady's handbag having metal ends permanently connected by front, bottom and back walls made of soft flexible, non-metallic material, and a flexible openable closure at the top of the bag, said metal ends being expansible to facilitate access thru the top of the bag when opened, each of said ends consisting of two overlapping metal plates pivoted at a point near the bottom wall, one of said plates having a channel along its front edge which receives and is clamped about an edge of the flexible front wall, the other of said plates having a channel along its rear edge which receives and is clamped about an edge of the flexible rear wall, and motion limiting means to limit the pivotal relative movement of the plates.

2. A ladys handbag having metal ends permanently connected by front, bottom and back walls made of soft, flexible, non-metallic material, and a flexible openable closure at the top of the bag, said metal ends being expansible to facilitate access thru the top of the bag when opened, each of said ends consisting of two overlapping metal plates pivoted at a point near the bottom wall, the front edge of one of said plates being bent outwardly, forwardly, and inwardly to form a channel which receives and is clamped about an edge of the flexible front wall, the rear edge of the other of said plates being bent outwardly, rearwardly, and inwardly to form a channel which receives and is clamped about an edge of the flexible rear wall, the other or free edge of the outer plate being shielded by the channel of the inner plate when the bag is closed, and motion limiting means to limit the pivotal relative movement of the plates.

3. A ladys handbag having metal ends permanently connected by front, bottom and back walls made of soft, flexible, non-metallic material, and a flexible openable closure means at the top of the bag, said metal ends being expansible to facilitate access thru the top of the bag when opened, each of said ends consisting of two overlapping metal plates pivoted at a point near the bottom wall, one of said plates having a channel along its front edge which receives and is clamped about an edge of the flexible front wall, the other of said platesl having a channel along its rear edge which receives and is clamped about an f edge of the flexible rear wall, the top edge of one of said plates being bent around the top edge of the other of said plates to provide a guide channel to hold the plates in close, face-to-face relation, and motion limiting means to limit the pivotal relative movement of the plates, said motion limiting means including a projection on one of the plates received in a Slot in the other of said plates, said slot following a path described about the aforesaid pivot as a center.

4. A ladys handbag having metal ends permanently connected by front, bottom and back Walls made of soft, flexible, non-metallic material, said handbag having a top wall openable between said ends, and a flap forming an extension of said top wall at the front of the bag, all of said walls and flap being made of a single continuous piece of soft, exible, non-metallic material, said metal ends being expansible to facilitate access thru the top of the bag when opened, each of said ends consisting of two overlapping metal plates pivoted at a point near the bottom wall, one of said plates having a channel along its front edge which receives and is clamped about an edge of the flexible front wall, the other of said plates having a channel along its rear edge which re- 5 ceves and is clamped about an edge of the flexible rear wall, and motion limiting means to limit the pivotal relative movement of the plates to an amount at their upper ends nearly equal to their Width, thereby nearly doubling the opening at 10 the top of the bag.

MAX KAPLAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the 15 .61e of this patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Moore Aug. 29, 1911 McSheehy Apr. 26, 1921 Lefkowitz Nov. 13, 1928 Kamensten Feb. 16, 1932 Sherman May 4, 1937 Scheinman May 21, 1940 Cohun Nov. 2, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1901 France Jan. 29, 1936 

